


Shift to minor

by Fiannalover



Category: Dragalia Lost (Video Game)
Genre: Complete, Gen, Insecurity, Loneliness, Vixel Sad Times
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-23
Updated: 2019-06-23
Packaged: 2020-05-18 12:49:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,419
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19334857
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fiannalover/pseuds/Fiannalover
Summary: Somedays, emotions just weigh you down all of a sudden.





	1. Chapter 1

It had been a while since these the last time he had one of these days.

And yet, Vixel just remained on his bed as the sun covered him. He had felt this feeling creeping by slowly the last couple of days, but just hoped it won’t develop any further.

_Ah, well. Nothing I can do about it._  He supposed. Forcing himself out of bed, even though he wanted nothing more than just stay in it for longer, Vixel went off to get himself ready for the day, even if it already felt like it was gonna stretch on.

_It’s fine._ He told himself while his brain tried to force him to crash back into resting.  _I’ll do fine._

* * *

Rehearsals came and went, with Vixel doing his best to keep on his mask no matter what. He could feel progress wasn’t coming as smoothly today, frustrating him to no end. It just… Added to the shift to minor he was going through.

Lunch went away, eventually taking him to a calmer situation, even if still one he had to struggle a bit.

Sipping some green tea, Vixel tried to bask on the calming presence of the Wyrmclans’ leader. The way Ieyasu did things, his gracefulness, always left a pleasant melody. It was quickly interrupted, however.

“So, Vixel. What is bothering you?”

Ah. As observant as ever, he’d suppose.

“It’s no matter, Ieyasu. Everything is fine for me.”

“Is that so? Then I hope you’ll forgive me for doubting you, but I’ve had enough cases where I was blind to my friend’s suffering. So, what’s happening?”

Vixel sighed, accepting his fate, even if sharing more about himself wasn’t something he was necessarily comfortable with. “I’m just in somewhat of an emotional low at the moment. It’s nothing in particular you have to worry about. I should be better before long.”

“I see.” Ieyasu remarked, sipping some of his own cup of tea. “I can’t say I understand very well. I’ve had moments of sadness, sure, but most of the strongest ones were in my youth.”

“You never felt such anguish that doing anything at all feels difficult?”

“You’d expect me, of all people, to be like that oftenly, wouldn’t you?” Ieyasu answered. “But I can’t really say I think I’ve had days like that. Sorry I can’t be of much help like that. Is there anything I can do, though?”

Immediately, a selfish request came to Vixel’s mind, and, even if a bit ashamed, he voiced it. “Can I tend to your hair a bit? I honestly find it a bit soothing.”

Ieyasu only blinked for a half-second, before agreeing. “Of course. Come on.”

Getting up from the tea table they were sitting by, the two went to the bed the Hinamotan had while in the Halidom. The Boar sat with his back turned to Vixel, and removed the decorations and pins keeping his hair in place, letting the conductor run his hand through the silky smooth waterfall of purple hair in front of him, before he grabbed a nearby brush.

“You’re always rather good at this, Vixel.” Ieyasu said, complimenting the care with which Vixel took care of his hair. “I take it you have some experience doing this.”

“Uhum.” Vixel hummed in confirmation, agreeing politely. Even if he was trying to just focus on the action, he couldn’t help but elaborate on that. “Back when we were children, Lucretia used to ask me to do so. I learned because of that… It’s a bit of a bittersweet memory now.”

“Why is that? She’s your best friend, isn’t she?”

“Yes, but… Back when my voice started changing, we were the choir’s star kids. So, I got jealous of her. Jealous of her, and afraid how my singing sounded like.”

“And is that why you’re like this right now.”

“A bit, yes.” He admitted. “Was this your plan to get me to open up?”

“Not really. Although, I did just keep going when you started talking. Did it help clear things up a bit?”

“I suppose so, yes."

* * *

With Ieyasu delivering to the kitchen a note from Vixel asking for his dinner in his room that night, Euden was about to do so, when someone stopped him.

“Excuse me, Euden?” The voice of the century called out for him. “Do you mind if I take the food to Vixel instead? I’ll have my share here later.”

The prince thought over for a second, before handing her the tray and letting her go ahead.

* * *

Hearing the knock on his door, Vixel went to open it, expecting Euden, Cleo, or maybe Vice to come deliver dinner, but found someone else looking at him instead.

“Hello there, Vixel. May I come in?”

Not really finding a reason not to, Vixel allowed her to. Lucretia’s blue hair moved freely as she walked in the room, the white dress she often used in her downtime showing simple graciousness. This wasn’t the Songstress of the Century, ready to dazzle another crowd. This was Lucretia, and yet, they were the same, something the conductor saw her figure out firsthand.

Lowering the tray on a table Vixel had on the room, the conductor knew she wouldn’t just stop at doing that, but, somewhat weirdly, he didn’t dread that. It felt comforting, in a way, knowing she was there.

“You haven’t been well, have you?”

“No. Not really.”

Very quietly, in a way that was very unlike the loud presence she had on the stage, she walked to Vixel, and covered him in a hug he saw coming, a comfort that was truly reassuring.

“I’m sorry I made you feel inferior, Vixel. Even if we were rivals, I didn’t want to ever make you feel like this.”

With a heavy sigh, he replied, returning the hug. “Come on, Lucretia. We both know neither of us meant any evil. It just got out of our control, the choir, and how we saw it.”

“I know. But I still feel the need to help you.”

A moment of silence was shared, as both of them remained on their silent embrace. Vixel’s hand brushed her hair, bringing forth nostalgia over all the times he shared with his closest friend. Both of them changed so much, yet looked so similar.

“You should go eat, Lucretia. You know I will.”

“I know. But please, let me watch you do so for just a little bit.”

Sighing and letting go of the hug, the conductor agreed to doing so. It wasn’t long before Lucretia felt satisfied and went off to have dinner herself. But still, in a weird way, it felt nice, to have someone caring for him that way.

* * *

The sun touched Vixel’s face as he sat on the grass at the Castle’s Grounds. As always, the warmth of the sun and the melody of the wind running through the world did wonders to soothe him. He was better, for now. That was good.

It certainly helped to have a certain someone sitting beside him. Maritimus was as floofy as ever, specially as he basked in sunbeams with closed eyes, in this quick trip to the Halidom that the Dragon was making. Vixel couldn’t help but find it funny to think that, all considered, he might as well have been his father.

“So, is the choir doing well?”

“Yes, magnificently!” Maritimus replied. “Pia is doing great leading the choir right now, and all the other kids are doing pretty well too. We even started selling merchandise again, lately!” He said, grabbing a plushie of himself from a bag he was wearing, and giving it to Vixel. “I set one of these apart for you, Lucretia, and all the others in the choir!”

Vixel couldn’t help but let out a small, warm laugh as he held the plush. It didn’t feel like the real thing’s fur, but it was still comforting enough. “Thank you, Mariti. I’ll be sure to treasure it.”

“And...” Maritimus said, with a more subdued tone of voice now. “I… Have been making an effort to keep a closer eye on my children. I don’t want something like Sabnock to happen again. And I… Don’t want any of my children to feel lost and hurt like you did, Vixel.”

The conductor blinked, not quite knowing what to say before answering. “Mariti, you didn’t mean to make me feel like that. You still raised and took care of me, even as I became more of… Well, a delinquent. You had a lot of children to look after, and still do.’

“Yes, but that doesn’t mean I can’t do better, does it? Specially since, I do know you still have some bad days. So, I’m sorry Vixel. For not helping you as much as I could have.”

With that said, Vixel took a deep sigh, and cracked a small, genuine smile.

“Thank you, Mariti. For now… I’m much better.”

And, even though another crash was bound to happen sooner or later… He’d just face that whenever it arrived.


	2. Chapter 2

Valentine’s Day came and went by, with promises of love being exchanged all over the place.

As he spent the day with friendship chocolate, and gifts from several admirers that, all considered, just felt empty to receive, Vixel couldn’t help but feel… Some sort of longing again.

_You must have to fend the ladies off with a stick, am I right?_

… So much for that.

* * *

Vixel was determined to spend some of the week after the day in his room a bit, aware that going out would just make him feel jealousy, which in turn would just make him feel bad for doing so over perfectly good and happy people.

Sadly, other people didn’t quite know about his plan of standing mostly isolated.

Which was why he now found himself with a certain circus performer alongside him on his room, delivering chocolate a couple days late.

“So, lemme guess, You’ve gotten yourself a bad case of the Valentine’s Blues?”

The conductor sighed on his bed, while Fritz sat on a chair, helping him eat some of the chocolate he got. “Indeed. Just another year I spend it alone. Doesn’t stop me from getting down over it.”

“Does hugging that doll like you’re doing right now help?”

“It does, in fact.” Vixel honestly replied, holding the Mariti-plush close to him with one arm, while the other helped himself to some more sweets. “It was a gift from my… Guardian. So, it makes me feel less lonely in days like this one.”

“Fair enough! Annelie has plenty of dolls herself. They go around the circus rather oftenly, so I can understand.” Fritz remarked with a smile, that made Vixel himself feel lighter and less gloomy already. “But, come on, I refuse to believe you spent every Valentine’s alone. Ladies all over throw themselves at your feet.”

“Indeed, they do. A shame I only ever had interest in men.” He replied, perhaps with a bit more annoyance and bluntness than he should.

“Oh. I’m sorry. I touched a sensitive spot, I see. But… Even then, no one? Even in your rougher days? I got a fair amount of activity on both ends back then.”

“Once again, no one. Even then, I always was a bit of a hopeless romantic, I suppose.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. At least once, some roughneck would try to lay some moves on me, though. They were always rather creepy about it” He admitted.

“And how did you answer?”

“By punching them in the face and running away.”

Fritz couldn’t help but laugh a bit at that, before suppressing that. “Sorry. I shouldn’t laugh over that. But… I guess right now, you have an image to keep?”

“It’s fine, really. But, yes, I’m “the conductor” now. I can’t afford to go out and try to meet someone without a swarm of fans coming after me. Well, Lucretia and I have disguised ourselves to do so at times, but I’d rather not risk having my disguises found out due to something so trivial.”

The performer nodded, recognizing that the social levels Vixel had to walk at where oftenly much higher than the ones he went through. “I take it that your romantic life doesn’t help you much with your self-esteem.”

“Not at all. Go on, laugh at me more. I’m a child in an adult’s body who has never had a single relationship with anyone. I have never even...”

Vixel’s voice trailed off at that part, with a deep red showing his embarassment over what he was about to admit, with Fritz picking up on what he was about to say.

“… I realize my advice may sound empty to you. After all, you know that I’ve had my fair share of past flings, some decently long, some only lasting one night.” Fritz said, with a calmness on his voice that nevertheless showed seriousness in it. “But, you’re not any less of an adult for never having dated or shared a bed with someone, Vixel. No matter how much frustration you have over that, it’s something you must recognize.”

At the conductor’s uncomfortable silence following that, Fritz sighed and got up from his chair. “Sorry. I got in to try and help you, and only kept touching button after sensitive button. I’ll be showing myself out, Vixel.”

“No.”

“Huh?”

“Please, stay a little longer.” The conductor asked, with a tired, but pleading voice. “You’re the person I’ve been the most comfortable with confiding this sort of thing to, I’ll admit. So… Don’t worry about saying something sensitive. Even if it discomforts me a bit, I’m thankful, truly. Besides...” He looked to the side a bit, before admititng. “If you leave, I’ll just feel even worse. So, please, stay a bit longer.”

Taking these words in, Fritz went back to the chair and said. “Very well. Whatever you want, Vixel.”

Some silence filled the room once again, as both men wondered where to take their conversation to from there. At last, Fritz decided to instead start singing a little bit. An old folk song, about heroes and villains of old, that any kid of Alberia knew about. His singing wasn’t perfect, but Vixel could hear every last bit of joy and effort being put into it, all things that made it Fritz’s.

However slowly and shyly, Vixel joined in the song, rising in intensity until he was as loud as his dear friend.

When he did so, the smile on Fritz’s face was the biggest in the world.


End file.
